Rack Jack Tailgate Pulley System – Product Review

We’ve figured out how to replenish our water by using our water bladder when we’re boondocking however, we still have one looming stinking issue…

How to get rid of our CRAP

RV sewage disposal from our black and gray tanks kept us from longer-term boondocking. Typically, we can go about ten days before we have to empty our black tank (human crap) but only about 5 or 6 days for our gray tank (washing water) and that’s if we are really mindful and conservative with our water usage (and eating too if you get my drift!).

Typically, when we are hooked up to sewer at a campground, when our RV toilet starts to burp, it means it’s time to pull the ole lever and let’r rip! She empties her belly right down the hole that our sewer hose is connected to.

When we boondock, obviously, we keep her black tank valves closed. If our toilet “burps”, we have to pack everything, hook up and try to find a place to dump…and that presented its own set of issues.

We didn’t want to leave. So, we had to come up with a viable solution.

We didn’t want to come back to see someone either took our favorite camping spot or worse, someone decided to help themselves to our camp chairs and whatever else we left to show we were returning. Adding in, where we boondock may be several miles from a campground or dump station. So, as boondocking RVers, I’m sure you feel our frustration and angst?

When we are at a campground that has ‘no’ sewer hookup, we hook up our Thetford 40502 27 gallon portable sewage tote aka “honey wagon” to our sewer hose and empty our black/gray tanks until the wagon is full. Some call it a ‘Blue Boy’ but we can’t because our’s isn’t blue; it’s dark gray but hey, it’s not about color, right? Besides, ‘honey wagon’ rolls a little sweeter off the tongue than say…shitter tank, crap wagon, piss pot…now doesn’t it?

Anyway, our honey wagon holds about 25 gallons. Now, that didn’t mean a whole heck of a lot until we tried to lift the damn thing into the back of our truck. We had to come up with a solution.

First, a SCIENCE lesson…

Now, if you’re a mathematical geo-bio-jigawatt scientist, you’d know that at 62° fahrenheit, a liquid gallon weighs around 8.3 pounds which when added up, our 25 gallon honey wagon weighs in at about 208 gallons.

However, did you know that the weight of a gallon can fluctuate as will the temperature because the density of the water can change accordingly?! If you want to measure the energy, you need to measure the temperature as they are connected. When the energy increases, the temperature also increases. Add those two together and you’ll find that the weight increases as well aka ‘density’.

It’s always about WEIGHT…

Now, to Cousin Eddie, that sounds like a bunch of biotechnojigawatt words however, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that CRAP is even heavier. Let’s add in about 20 more degrees and OH BOY! And I ain’t just talkin’ math here!

So, with all that math and science, our honey wagon weighs in at about 210 pounds. And with all that I just described above, our honey wagon full of crap is going to be heavier than our honey wagon full of water. There was no way one of us could lift that damn smelly thing into the back of our truck. It’s bulky and awkward.

Our problem was solved…

This past summer (2017), while we were farmdocking (boondocking on a farm) near our son’s family in Minnesota, he understood our dilemma. While they were ‘shootin the shit’ around the campfire, he talked about this cool contraption called the Rack JACK that his friends would use to lift lightweight ADV motorcycles and engines into the back of their pickup trucks. Of course, Dan’s ears perked up like he just heard baby angels singing!

Did he just hear ‘lift’ and ‘back of their pickups’?

The next day, they took a drive to the Bass Pro Shops for a look-see since our son didn’t have one. Like a kid in a candy store, Dan was instantly sold on the idea! The little gears were turning in his head. He then ordered it on Amazon.

And…of course, it worked just as our son had explained!

First, Dan emptied our black or gray tank into our honey wagon until full and wheeled it over to the back of the truck.

Dan simply inserted the receiver piece and a hitch pin, put the vertical column on the post and attached the boom with the winch and VOILA! He was ready to hoist our portable sewage tank (aka honey wagon).

He attached the cargo straps securely around our honey wagon and clasped it to the pulley system.

He then reeled up the honey wagon up to the level of the truck bed.

For the record, we use TWO cargo straps. These photos were taken just for demonstration purposes only.

He then pushed it over into the truck bed and unhooked it from the pulley system.

He then, disassembled the Rack Jack and stowed it in the bed of the truck for later use. He stashed our sewer hose in with the honey wagon and off they went to the nearby dump station.

About the Rack JACK…

Rack JACK is manufactured Viking Solutions LLC in Decatur, Alabama. As noted on their website:

Viking Solutions is dedicated to providing you with in-field solutions that enhance and improve your outdoor experience. Our products focus on eliminating the backbreaking chore of dealing with downed game – especially when you’re on your own. During a combined 100+ years of hunting and fishing across North America, we have watched hunters (including ourselves) struggle with the recovery, cleaning and processing of big game animals. We can serve you with a better solution.

The Rack JACK Original is a hitch mounted hoist that swivels a full 360 degrees that allowed us to load our RV portable sewage tank with a simple 3-piece attachment and easy installation.

Since they designed the boom/winch piece as one unit, there was no cable threading or alignment of holes or pins. There is a bracket and slot design that is amazingly foolproof that virtually any RVer and truck owner could assemble.

The Rack JACK features machined pulleys to produce a high quality product that will not bind or jam. They even provided a hook for attaching our straps that cradle the sewage tank. The total weight of the Rack JACK is 42 lbs, so keep that in your noggins when it comes time to either buying your honey wagon or if you already have a much larger one, you won’t want to fill it as full.

We’ve used it several times so far and absolutely love the freedom of not having to pull in the slides and hitch up Liberty just to take her to empty her guts, This solution allows us longer boondocking periods with less stress of trying to find a dump station that we could fit in or go out of our way in finding.

We wrote other blogs that pertain to boondocking that you may enjoy reading:

Disclaimer: We at Always On Liberty will not be held liable for bodily injury or damage to any property due to misuse; accidental, purposeful or otherwise. This product is what works for ‘us’. We recommend reading all instructional information by the manufacturer for proper and safe use. We were not compensated by Rack JACK for this publication.

2/27/18 EDIT:

We came in to edit this post with this note because we received a lot of negative responses of why we didn’t seek other measures or solutions ‘instead’ of this one (i.e. macerator, composting toilet). We do what works for US. While yes, we ‘could’ go with other options, those are/were not viable solutions for US for the time being. If something works for you and your situation, we’re happy you’ve found your solution. We all do things a little differently and unless they are deemed unsafe to others or ourselves, we should all be left to our own decisions respectfully. Thank you.

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